The Goisot 2008 Saint-Bris Exogyra Virgula reached close to 13.5% natural alcohol – more than the domaine’s Chardonnays. Chalk dust, celery seed, caraway, grapefruit rind, and black pepper in the nose put me in mind of a hypothetical Sauvignon-Traminer blend. Glossy, glycerin-rich, and polished in texture yet pungently zesty in its concentration of citrus oils, this finishes with vivid evocations of iodine, oyster shell, and a crushing of the fossiliferous Kimmeridgian chalk for which the cuvee is named. This powerful, richly-textured, ripe, yet foundationally firm Sauvignon offers a terrific example of why this grape in this place deserves its unique appellation. Expect this outstanding value to prove versatile and fascinating for at least the next 4-5 years. Extreme millerandage characterized his family’s 2008 crop, explains Guilhem Goisot, and even if one did not know that, it is easy to imagine the concentration of tiny, sparse berries when one tastes the superb collection rendered here this year. Yet even with these low yields, 2008 was not the vintage to threaten too much of a good thing, and the natural sugars sufficed for a collection of Chardonnay weighing in entirely between 12-13% alcohol from ripe, healthy fruit.Thomas Calder Selections (various importers), Paris; fax 011-33-1-46-45-15-29; also imported by Beaune Imports, Berkeley, CA, tel. (510) 559-1040